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May 28, 2019

Shrimp and Pork Belly Fried Rice with Peas

This shrimp and pork belly fried rice with peas is so delicious, you might just jump up and down with happiness when you take your first taste.

The combination of the shrimp and pork belly in this fried rice dish is a spin on Chinese sausage fried rice, but with pork belly instead of Chinese sausage, and with added shrimp and peas. This fried rice is so good. I keep saying pork and shrimp should get married.
The cool thing about fried rice is that all you need is four cups of day old cooked long grain or jasmine rice, some eggs, some protein, and/or other veggies, some sauce, plus garlic, ginger, and scallions.

While the ingredient list may look long, if you line up your ingredients in little bowls, making fried rice takes just a few minutes. For example, combine the sauce ingredients (fish sauce, soy sauce, sugar, and sesame oil) in a small bowl to add all at once. I like to line up the ingredients for a stir fry in the order that they are added so that I'm ready as the stir fry dish sizzles.

A colleague at work was gifted some pork belly, and asked me how she should cook it. I gave her some options, and as a reward, she gave me a package of her freshly oven roasted pork belly.

My mind immediately went to making fried rice (and of course I brought some to work to share with my generous friend).

I love pork belly, and with all of the Asian markets in my area, it's so easy to find. One of my favorite pork belly recipes is for these Thai-Flavored Pork Belly Skewers.

How to oven roast pork belly:

Season the pork belly with sugar, salt, and pepper, and refrigerate it overnight.

The next day, roast the pork belly at 275 degrees F for about 2 hours. Wrap and chill the pork belly to prepare later. Just slice off pieces and cook them in a skillet until crispy for your favorite recipe.

This shrimp and pork belly fried rice is wonderful as a main course. I used 10 ounces of shrimp and 8 ounces of cooked pork belly, making this a filling and complete dish. You can also serve this rice as a hearty side dish as part of a multi-course meal.

The basics on how to make shrimp and pork belly fried rice with peas:

First, you cook the egg pancake in your wok, and set it aside.

Next, you par-cook the shrimp in the wok to sear it, and then set it aside.

The next step is to cook the scallions, garlic, and ginger in the wok, and then toss in the rice and stir-fry.

You then add the sauce of your choice, some salt and pepper, and continue to stir fry the rice.

Finally, you add back the egg and shrimp, along with the pork belly, and stir fry the ingredients for another minute or so to combine.

One of the highlights of this stir-fry is peas, a classic spring ingredient. You can use either fresh or frozen peas when you make this, or even sugar snaps or snow peas in their pods.

Welcome to Progressive Eats, our virtual version of a Progressive Dinner Party. This month's theme is Spring Has Sprung- Dishes that highlight ingredients and flavors associated with spring, and our host is Laura who blogs at Mother Would Know.

If you're unfamiliar with the concept, a progressive dinner involves going from house to house, enjoying a different course at each location. With Progressive Eats it's a virtual party. A theme is chosen each month, members share recipes suitable for a delicious meal or party, and you can hop from blog to blog to check them out. Come along and see all of the delicious spring inspired dishes!

Spring Has Sprung- Dishes that highlight ingredients and flavors associated with spring

instructions:

How to cook Shrimp and Pork Belly Fried Rice with Peas

place the shrimp in a shallow bowl, sprinkle it with 1/4 teaspoon of the salt, black pepper, and cornstarch, and stir to coat the shrimp. Set aside for ten minutes.

Heat the wok over high heat until a drop of water vaporizes within a second or two.

Swirl in one tablespoon of the vegetable oil and a teaspoon of sesame oil to the wok and lower the temperature to medium. Add the egg and swirl the wok to evenly spread the egg thinly like a crepe. Cook for about 1 minute, undisturbed, until just set. Remove the egg from the wok and place it on a plate. Cut it into 1 inch squares, and set aside.

Heat the wok on high, and swirl in 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil. Add the shrimp and spread it out in a single layer. Let it sizzle, undisturbed, for one minute. Stir-fry for one minute more, and then remove it from the wok and place on plate. Set aside.

Swirl in one tablespoon of the oil to the wok, and add the garlic, ginger, and green onions. Stir for 30 seconds. Stir in the rice and spread it out in the wok and let cook on high for one minute. Stir the rice, and then spread it out again to cook for one minute more.

Add the Shaoxing wine, fish sauce, soy sauce, sugar, and 1/2 teaspoon of sesame oil and toss to coat everything. Continue to cook and toss the rice for one minute.

Add the peas, pork belly, shrimp, egg, the rest of the salt, and white pepper and stir-fry for about two minutes.

Garnish with fresh green onions. Serve immediately. It also makes great leftovers.

Note: If you are nervous about creating the egg "pancake" in your wok or skillet, go ahead and use a nonstick skillet (for just the egg, not the rest of the stir fry).

I've been wondering what to do with the pork belly in my freezer! This is so smart Karen. And you are so right on with the instructions to have everything prepped and organized - they key to frying rice. It's not hard, but you gotta have your ingredients ready to go in the right order!

I'm like Beth; I have a HUGE piece of pork belly from Costco that I bought primarily to use for curing bacon but I would love to use it for one or two other dishes...and this one sounds right up my alley...YUM!

Fried rice is so much fun to make; it's one of my favorite supper solutions! You've really taken it over the top with the addition of the pork belly. Next time I see it in the meat counter, I'm definitely going to grab some to make this! Looks so good!

I adore homemade fried rice. I've never cooked pork belly, so I'm glad to have the instructions, and I'm betting it will up my fried rice game by a lot. Especially with the other ingredients in this recipe :)